Should the Sault declare an intimate partner violence epidemic?

With five deaths attributed to intimate partner violence (IPV) during just the past week, Sault Ste. Marie city council will be asked Monday to formally declare an epidemic in IPV and gender-based violence.

A resolution to be presented by Ward 3 Coun. Angela Caputo and Ward 2 Coun. Lisa Vezeau-Allen states that 1,351 IPV calls for service were made to Sault Ste Marie Police Service in 2022.

The Algoma Council on Domestic Violence (ACDV), a multi-agency council aimed at changing community attitudes toward domestic violence with a focus on woman abuse, supports the call for an epidemic declaration.

"Women in Crisis (Algoma) Inc. has reported that 160 women and children accessed emergency shelter in one year and there were 3,508 times that the 24-hour crisis line or walk-in crisis service was accessed in one year," ACDV said in a news release.

"Victim Services Algoma has assisted 232 individuals regarding intimate partner violence between January and September this year," the release said.

"In the near future, we will be seeking support from all municipalities in Algoma to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic, as 66 municipalities in Ontario (including Wawa) have already done," said ACDV chair Christine Simpson.

“For every femicide, there are more survivors who are not safe in their homes, workplaces and communities. We need to recognize that this is a critical issue for everyone in our communities," Simpson said.

As SooToday's James Hopkin reported yesterday, a coroner's inquest in Renfrew County recently called on Ontario municipalities to issue such declarations, but Solicitor General Michael Kerzner deflected related questions about the five Sault Ste. Marie deaths, instead talking about $55 million in grant dollars for victim services agencies and IPV training for cadets at Ontario Police College.

Hopkin's article also revealed that between January and September of this year, Algoma Victim Services handled 193 calls related to IPV.

The following is the full text of the resolution to be presented to city council next week:

Intimate partner violence 

Mover: Coun. A. Caputo
Seconder: Coun. L. Vezeau-Allen

Whereas the jury that heard the Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kuzyk, and Nathalie Warmerdam inquest (The Renfrew County Inquest) issued 86 recommendations to prevent future deaths and delivered those recommendations to the Province of Ontario on Intimate Partner Violence; and

Whereas recommendation #1 of the inquest is for the Province of Ontario to formally declare intimate partner violence an epidemic; and

Whereas every six days in Canada a woman is killed by her intimate partner; and

Whereas this past year in Ontario, 52 women or one every week, were victims of femicide; and

Whereas gender- and sexually-diverse Indigenous individuals are particularly at risk, being five times more likely than non-Indigenous gender- and sexually- diverse individuals to experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime; and

Whereas in the City of Sault Ste. Marie in 2022, there were 1,351 intimate partner violence calls for service made to Sault Ste Marie Police Service; and

Whereas according to Statistics Canada, 80 per cent of intimate partner violence goes unreported; and

Whereas violence against women costs the national justice system, health care systems, social service agencies, and municipalities nearly $10 billion dollars per year; and municipalities are on the front lines in addressing gender-based violence; and

Whereas over 60 municipalities and regions across Ontario have declared a gender-based violence and/or intimate partner violence epidemic; and

Whereas on August 20, 2023, Ontario Big City Mayors and Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario passed a motion declaring intimate partner violence and gender-based violence an epidemic; called on the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, and all municipalities and regions in Ontario and Canada to do the same; and called for changes to the Criminal Code; and

Whereas Sault Ste. Marie City Council recognizes that issues of gender-based violence and intimate partner violence are matters of local importance, including public health, EMS, community services, and community safety

Now therefore be it resolved:

1. That Council of The City of Sault Ste Marie declare an epidemic in intimate partner violence and gender-based violence in accordance with recommendation #1 of the Renfrew County Inquest;

2. That intimate partner violence be integrated into the Corporation of The City of Sault Ste. Marie community safety and wellbeing plan in accordance with recommendation #10 of the Renfrew County Inquest;

3. That Mayor Shoemaker be requested to write a letter to the Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario requesting that the Province of Ontario reconsider their previous decision and declare intimate partner violence and gender-based violence as an epidemic and act on all of 86 recommendations from the Renfrew County Inquest by setting up a provincial implementation committee to oversee comprehensive consideration of all of the recommendations;

4. That a copy of this motion be sent to the Honourable Arif Virani, minister of justice; the Honourable Doug Ford, premier of Ontario; the Honourable Charmaine A. Williams, associate minister of women's social and economic opportunity; the Honourable Parm Gill, minister of red tape reduction, Sault Ste Marie MP Terry Sheehan; Sault Ste. Marie MPP Ross Romano; the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities; Mayors and Regional Chairs of Ontario; and Ontario’s Big City Mayors.